10/13/03: Fried Oreos, Blue Planet Prize, & Meat Molecules

Howdy! Welcome to the 27th issue of the MadCowboy Newsletter. Herein you ll learn about what might be a new type of mad cow disease, how air pollution in the

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, Oct 13, 2003

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Howdy! Welcome to the 27th issue of the MadCowboy Newsletter.

Herein you'll learn about what might be a new type of mad cow disease, how
air pollution in the US Southwest may change our numbers on global
emissions affecting climate change, and how ineffective the USDA has been
regarding food-borne disease. You'll read about PCB buildup in animals,
the Blue Planet Prize winners, Fried Oreos (yuk), the Critter Cam, and the
possible secret to a monkey's high-energy levels.

And further on, an intriguing study about non-human molecules from meat
being transferred to humans consuming meat, the Feds soliciting feedback on
changing the infamous "Food Pyramid (how YOU can let them know what you
think), a Vegan Skateboarder's PeTA commercial of note, how non-human
primates show a sense of "fairness," and why you should respect kangeroos.

BTW: Howard's been on the road for several weeks, and has promised many
pictures from the "Spitfire Tour" (with Tracey Chapman and others), as well
as his experiences in Canada, for the next issue.

And finally, the overdue online interview with Dr. Pam Popper (of the
"Wellness Forum") and her extraordinary ideas, efforts, and enthusiasm, has
been posted. Learn why the "Diet for a New America" video is so, well,
subversive.... and why she still shows it!

As usual, a nod of the hat to our new subscribers, and y'all can read past
issues of the newsletter (searchable!) at:

Have a great Autumn! Mark Editor/Webmaster (and don't miss the closing
quote from one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and some
articles about the Mad Cowboy in Canada ("quick bytes"))

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*00: Quote(s) of Note
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"While traveling over one million miles in my life as an activist I have
met some of the most remarkable people on the face of the earth. I have
decided we'd interview some of these folks from time to time so the readers
of the Mad Cowboy newsletter will get a chance to understand what giants
they are.

This group is as diverse as anyone could imagine. They are young and old,
female and male, quiet and outspoken, foreign and American, every color and
religion under the sun. The common denominator for this group is they are
my friends."

--- Howard, 01/21/03

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*01: Popper Interview Now Online!
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MS: "I'm looking a document that's called the "Testimony of Pamela A.
Popper, to the Ohio State Commerce and Labor Committee" entitled, "The Ohio
Board of Dietetics HAS Used Heavy-Handed Tactics In its Investigations."
HOW did you get involved in this one?"

PP: "Well, this is a long story. The short version is that essentially when
I started teaching people how to eat healthier in Columbus, Ohio, it never
ocurred to me that it might be against the law. So I'm happily doing my
thing, and one day I got a call from an investigator from the Board [Ohio
Board of Dietetics] who wanted to know what we are up to. I got checked out
a little bit, and left alone. I didn't think much of it at the time.

About a year later, the State Investigator called again. She came out to
see me and informed me that, unless you are a registered and licensed
dietician, in the State of Ohio, you can't talk about food. Some of the
things she said to me almost had me laughing out loud. One of them was that
if I showed the movie "Diet for a New America" [John Robbins], that could
be construed as the practice of Dietetics because somebody might change
their lifestyle habits as a result of seeing that movie."

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*02: The Vegan Mind-Bender Contest Winner/Challenge!
************************************************
LAST WEEK'S MIND-BENDER: "Out of all the nations in the world, 10 nations
share 65% of the world's annual X resources. What is "X"?"

"X" is.... water!

Congratulations to Glenn Darling of British Columbia, who was one of the
correct answerers and won the luck of the draw! You've won a year's
subscription to VegNews!

"In 1929, this Seventh-Day Adventist (T.A. Van Gundy) was the first
westerner to make this popular soy product commercially. The earliest
American document to refer to this product was written by a signer of the
Declaration of Independence. WHO was he?"

[Joe Connelly, Editor, VegNews, has offered a FREE one-year subscription to
a winner chosen at random those submitting the correct answer to each MC
Newsletter's Contest. Our thanks to Joe, and you can learn more about
VegNews at:

************************************************
*03: New Type of BSE? Animal Feed Limits & Ineffective USDA
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JAPAN FINDS POSSIBLE NEW TYPE OF MAD COW DISEASE: 10/08/03: (The Japan
Times): "A Holstein bull slaughtered was confirmed Monday to have been
infected with mad cow disease. The 23-month-old bull is the eighth case of
the brain-wasting illness found in Japan and is believed to be the world's
youngest carrier of the disease also known as bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

It also said the abnormal prions found in the bull were of a different type
from those of any of the mad cow infection cases reported worldwide so far.
The bull was born in October 2001 and was younger than the seven beasts
previously diagnosed with mad cow disease, the latest of which was
confirmed in late January. Until now, the youngest infected cow here was 64
months old.

Cows examined in Europe for the disease are generally older than 24 months.
Mad cow disease is believed to be caused by the consumption of
meat-and-bone meal contaminated with abnormal prions. It has been linked to
nervous system illnesses such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It said there
could be over 30 additional animals in Japan with mad cow disease, which
first broke out in 1986 in Britain. The fact that the bull, which was born
after the first domestic case came to light, was confirmed as having the
disease indicates that there may be another route of contamination, experts
said.

FDA TO LIMIT WHAT GOES INTO ANIMAL FEED: 09/24/03: (WASHDC (AP)) -- "The
government is working on expanding its ban against brains and spinal tissue
in cattle feed to include food for dogs, cats, pigs and poultry. Stephen
Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA, said
Tuesday the agency wants to prevent animal diseases from being passed onto
consumers and other animals.

The Animal Protection Institute, a California-based animal welfare group,
said the remnants of slaughtered animals -- such as bones, spinal tissue
and the brain -- do not belong in pet food. "When it comes to animal feed
for the welfare of animals like companion animals, we wouldn't want to eat
that garbage, so why should they?" said DeWitt.

But Dan Murphy, a meat industry spokesman, said that while meat companies
want to prevent disease, expanding a ban on the use of spinal and brain
tissue in animal meal and pet food would leave meat companies with a lot of
waste to dispose of. "You're talking about the skull, the brain and the
spinal cord -- that's 100 pounds of material from every animal that would
end up in a landfill," said Murphy, of the American Meat Institute."

USDA CALLS CONAGRA MEAT RECALL INEFFECTIVE: 10/03/03: (by Julie Vorman,
Reuters, WASHDC): "An investigation by the U.S. Agriculture Department
into ConAgra Foods Inc.'s 2002 recall of more than 18 million pounds of
ground beef found the recall was "ineffective and inefficient" and the vast
majority of the meat was never accounted for. The meat produced at a
plant in Colorado was linked to an outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 that caused
46 illnesses in 16 states, according to the USDA's Office of Inspector
General.

"Our audit found that neither ConAgra nor FSIS effectively fulfilled their
responsibilities," the report said. "Data were available to both ConAgra
and FSIS in the period prior to the recall that indicated E. coli 0157:H7
contamination was becoming a continuous problem at ConAgra."

The USDA investigators described the recall as "ineffective and
inefficient," noting that only 3 million pounds of the recalled meat was
recovered by the end of January 2003. The recall was delayed because of
poor recordkeeping, it said. A spokesman for Swift & Co. said the Colorado
plant followed all measures prescribed by the USDA, and made its internal
E. coli test results available to meat inspectors."

************************************************
*04: PCB Buildup in Animals/Pollution in US S'West/Blue Planet Prize
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DANGEROUS CHEMICAL BUILDING UP IN MARINE LIFE AND ARCTIC PEOPLE: 09/20/03:
(Press Release: WASHDC): "Oceana released a report today that shows the
devastating impact of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, on public health
and animals. The report, "Toxic Burden: PCBs in Marine Life," describes
levels of PCBs so alarmingly high in humans and marine animals that in one
case, a bottlenose dolphin was discovered to have PCB levels of 2,000 ppm
(parts per million), 40 times the amount needed to subject the animal to
hazardous waste disposal requirements.

PCBs have long been linked to cancer, birth defects and other harmful
effects on humans and animals. They are no longer produced in the United
States but remain one of the most ubiquitous chemicals in the environment.
The Environmental Protection Agency cautions against eating fish containing
more than .094 ppm PCBs (simply put, equal to less than one drop of water
in ten million drops). In 2002, 38 states issued 813 fish consumption
advisories due to PCBs.

The POPs Treaty calls for the phase-out and ultimate elimination of 10
chemicals, which, in addition to PCBs, includes aldrin, endrin, dieldrin,
hexachlorobenzene, chlordane, DDT, heptachlor, mirex and toxaphene. The
treaty also restricts the release of dioxins and furans. After signing the
POPs Treaty with great fanfare in 2001, the White House introduced
legislation in April 2002 that would gut the treaty because it lacks a
provision known as an "adding mechanism."

"Giving the EPA the direction to add new chemicals to the list is vitally
important," Savitz added. Lawmakers continue to allow production and use of
other chemicals that are very similar to the banned POPs. In the past few
months, new studies have been released showing that chemicals such as
polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are used as a flame retardant
in everyday items such as furniture and clothing, pose serious health risks
to humans and animals. Recent studies show that women in California have
three to 10 times more PBDE in their breast milk than European or Japanese
women.

STUDY FINDS HIGH POLLUTION LEVELS IN U.S. SOUTHWEST: 10/07/03: (Reuters,
WASHDC): "Oil and gas wells and refineries in Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas
are creating an air pollution problem similar to the notorious smog of Los
Angeles and Houston, researchers said Monday. The pollution is so bad it
greatly increases estimates of how much methane the United States is
pumping into the atmosphere, the scientists report.

"Based on these findings, it appears that the United States is emitting 4
[million] to 6 million tons more methane per year than previously
estimated," said Rowland, who shared the 1995 Nobel prize for chemistry for
his work on ozone chemistry in the atmosphere. "In fact, our study suggests
that total hydrocarbon emissions are higher than stated in current
estimates. This means the American air pollution problem has still another
new, significant aspect."

Rowland and Blake said the highest high pollution levels in Texas,
Oklahoma, and southwestern Kansas correlated with the locations of oil and
natural gas refineries."

WINNERS OF THE 2003 BLUE PLANET PRIZE: "Dr. Gene E. Likens and Dr. F.
Herbert Bormann will receive the 2003 Blue Planet Prize in Tokyo, on
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2003. The Blue Planet Prize, in its 12th year, is an
international environmental award bestowed annually by The Asahi Glass
Foundation to two individuals or organizations that have made major
contributions to the conservation of the global environment.

Likens and Bormann developed the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study, which
revealed the relationship between fossil fuel use in North America and acid
rain, and contributed critical data to the U.S. Congress for the 1990 Clean
Air Act Amendments. Now in its 40th year, the study has become a model for
the study of whole, intact or experimentally manipulated ecosystems
throughout the world. The model allows for the evaluation of human effects
on ecosystem functions. "

************************************************
*05: Fried Oreos, the Critter Cam, and the Monkey's Secret
************************************************
TEXAS-FRIED OREOS, ANYONE?: 09/30/03: (by Jon Herskovitz - DALLAS
(Reuters): "Welcome to the State Fair of Texas -- Fried potatoes and
catfish are old hat to Texans at what is billed as the largest state fair
in the United States. What they long for is a new offering for the vats of
hot grease to go along with fair favorites such as fried pickles, fried
okra, fried corn on the cob and fried cheesecake.

This year, 14 new food items were introduced to the fair and eight of them
are fried. New to the fair, held in a land that is home to chicken fried
steak, are items such as fried Oreo cookies, fried candy bars, and fried
cheese curds. The candy bar is dipped in a batter, fried for about 30
seconds and served hot on a plate that quickly becomes saturated in oil. A
calorie count was not immediately available. Last year, fried Twinkies
were a huge hit, and this year, the new food darling could be fried onion
on a stick."

CRITTER CAM REVEALS BEAR'S-EYE VIEW: 09/14/03: (by Riley Woodford Alaska
Department of Fish and Game, National Geographic): "The bear was in a
stream bottom half a mile away, but the view was up close and personal,
transmitted from a tiny video camera mounted in a collar around the bear's
neck. The researchers were clustered around a monitor at a makeshift
hillside outpost.

The "critter cam" was deployed by a three-man crew from National Geographic
Television, working with Alaska Department of Fish and Game bear
researchers Steve Lewis and LaVern Beier. Fish and Game has been studying
the bears of northeast Chichagof Island, about 40 miles west of Juneau,
since 1989. The joint team spent 10 days in August working to get the
cub's-eye view of the world."

MONKEY ENERGY SECRET?: (by Lena Sanchez): "Could bananas have anything to
do with it? Seems so, their three energy boosting natural sugars, sucrose,
fructose and glucose and when combined with fiber gives an instant,
sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research studies have proven
that eating two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute
workout. Not the only great thing about bananas though! They do not lose
nutritional content after being picked as do other fruits and vegetables
with thinner skin!

Here are some tasty ideas to help some common problems by starting your day
and ending your day eating a banana.

Doctors in India have discovered just two bananas a day can reduce blood
pressure by 10% in just one week. This backs up a previous American study
showing that eating five bananas a day was 50% as effective as taking
prescription medication to reduce hypertension. The US Food and Drug
Administration now allows the banana industry to make official claims for
the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. "

************************************************
*06: Meat Molecules/Food Pyramid Change/Farmer's Mkts/Pheidias
************************************************
NON-HUMAN MOLECULE IS ABSORBED BY EATING RED MEAT: 09/29/03: (National
Academy of Sciences Press Release): "A non-human, cellular molecule is
absorbed into human tissues as a result of eating red meat and milk
products, according to a study by researchers at the University of
California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, published in Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers also showed that the
same foreign molecule generates an immune response that could potentially
lead to inflammation in human tissues.

Several previous studies have linked ingestion of red meat to cancer and
heart disease, and possibly to some disorders involving inflammation.
However, that research has primarily focused on the role of red-meat
saturated fats and on products that arise from cooking. The UCSD study is
the first to investigate human dietary absorption of a cell-surface
molecular sugar called N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), which is found
in non-human mammals. Not produced in humans, Neu5Gc occurs naturally in
lamb, pork and beef, the so-called "red meats". Levels are very low or
undetectable in fruits, vegetables, hen's eggs, poultry and fish.

NEW FOOD PYRAMID RUNS INTO OPPOSITION: 09/25/03: (by Emily Gersema, WASH
AP): "The government's plan for a new food pyramid to help fat people lose
weight is running into opposition from experts on the panel writing the
guidelines for it. ...some are questioning whether the guidelines are the
place for tackling that problem. At the committee's first meeting this
week, some members also said a stronger "eat less, exercise more" message
aimed at fat consumers will not reduce obesity. They said the guidelines
should continue to focus on helping Americans maintain their present
weight.

"It's not that I'm opposed to weight loss," said Russell R. Pate, a fitness
expert from the University of South Carolina and an adviser for a food
industry research group, the International Food Information Council. "But
by focusing on weight maintenance, you're encouraging calorie balance."

At the guideline committee's meeting this week, several members indicated a
preference for continuing to target the government's advice to healthy
consumers. Critics say that would avoid sending an "eat less" message
vehemently opposed by the food industry. "

LOCAL FARMERS' MARKETS ARE A HEALTHY CHOICE: 09/26/03: (by Laura Faye
Taxel, E Magazine): "According to statistics from the USDA there's been a
63 percent increase in the number of farmers markets nationwide since 1994.
There are more than 3,000 farmer's markets currently in operation,
generating more than $1 billion annually. This impacts more than what goes
on the plate.

"Our customers come from all walks of life, all income levels," said
special projects market manager Gabrielle Langholtz. "You don't need to be
a gourmet to recognize how much better this food tastes." Unlike the
fruits and vegetables from big commercial growers, which are bred for
durability and their suitability for mechanical harvesting and handling,
Greenmarket vendors [NYC] choose varieties for their flavor and pick them
at the peak of ripeness.

It's estimated that food processing, packaging, transportation, and
marketing consume 75 to 85 percent of the energy used in the commercial
food industry. Farmer's markets are the lynchpin of a nationwide,
grassroots effort to create an alternative: sustainable food systems that
directly connect growers and producers with their customers."

PHEIDIAS IN PETA TV AD: 10/09/03: (Press Release, PETA): "Vegan
Skateboard Pro Urges Young People to Kick the Meat Habit:" "The folks at
peta2.com - PETA's alternative Web site that encourages members of
Generation "Why?" to fight for animal rights - nearly flipped when
skateboarding pro Laban Pheidias, a lifelong vegetarian, offered to star in
a new PETA pro-vegetarian ad. Now the ad,. . . .is getting a big-time
national debut, thanks to Fusion TV, a nonstop action show that runs on Fox
Sports. Although PETA originally planned to pay to run the spot a limited
number of times on Fusion TV, the show's producers were so impressed with
it that they are running it-for free-through the end of the year.

Why are Laban, Dave, and PETA so down on meat? Consumption of meat and
other animal products is responsible for intense animal suffering,
environmental devastation, and a host of life-threatening illnesses,
including heart disease, strokes, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.

"Three million animals are killed every hour in the U.S. for meat," says
Laban. "Meat is full of steroids, antibiotics, fat, and cholesterol-I don't
want to put that in my body! Farming animals is what is depleting our soil,
choking our oceans, and burning our rain forests."

************************************************
*07: Primate Fairness/Zoo'd Carnivores/Frog Eggs/Rescuing Roo
************************************************
A SENSE OF FAIRNESS IN NONHUMAN PRIMATES: 09/19/03: (Emory University
Health Sciences Center), Atlanta): "In the first experimental
demonstration of its kind, researchers led by Sarah Brosnan and Frans de
Waal, PhD, at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory
University, and the Living Links Center, have shown nonhuman primates
respond negatively to unequal reward distribution, a reaction often seen in
humans based on their universal sense of fairness. While researchers have
long recognized the sense of fairness within the human species, Brosnan and
de Waal are the first to confirm this trait in nonhuman primates. The
findings appear in the September 18 issue of Nature.

WIDE-ROAMING CARNIVORES SUFFER MOST IN ZOOS: 10/01/03: (by James
Randerson, New Scientist): "Carnivores with large home ranges have worse
reactions to being caged than those that roam less widely in the wild,
according to a major study of zoo animal welfare. The researchers
conclude that wide-ranging carnivores should not be kept in captivity. "If
we can't keep them well then don't keep them at all," says Ros Clubb at
Oxford University, UK, who compiled the research.

Scientists have suggested before that range size is important, but the new
work is the first to show this with comprehensive data. The home range of
polar bears, for example, is around one million times bigger than the size
of a typical enclosure, and the species is notorious for developing
behavioural problems in captivity.

FROG EGGS FALL FROM THE SKY ONTO HOME IN BERLIN: 10/01/03: (by Kathryn
Masterson, AP, Berlin, Conn.): "In a scene that sounds more biblical than
plausible, masses of amphibian eggs rained down on Primo D'Agata's porch
last month as the remnants of Hurricane Isabel moved through the state.

Biologists from nearby Central Connecticut State University say the eggs
are likely from frogs. "It is quite possible the storm carried the eggs
right up the coast and dropped them here in Connecticut," Diaz said. "If
you had a strong wind and strong updraft, it could lift something right
up," he said."

ROO TO THE RESCUE: 09/22/03: (ABC News, AU): "A man knocked unconscious
by a tree branch during the weekend's storms in north-eastern Victoria has
been rescued, reportedly, by a Morwell family's pet kangaroo. The kangaroo
kept banging on the door of the family's house in Tanjil South, then led it
to the man lying unconscious about 150 metres away.

Rural Ambulance Victoria paramedic Eddie Wright says the man was taken to
the Austin Hospital with serious head injuries. He says he could have died
if he had not been found until later. "The kangaroo alerted them to where
he was and has gone and sat down next to him and that's how they found
him," he said.

"Especially when you consider it's not a pet as such, it's just an animal
that's adopted them over the years and comes and goes as it is free to,
they were lucky yesterday it was in the area."

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*10: Donations to the Mad Cowboy Documentary
************************************************
Both Mooshoes and VeganCats will donate 5% of sales accessed through the
MadCowboy Home Page to the filming of the Mad Cowboy Feature Documentary.
Check 'em out! Mooshoes sells much more than shoes, and VeganCats sells
cruelty-free products for cats AND dogs!

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*11: Closing Thought(s)
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"Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come
when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship ... To restrict
the art of healing to one class of men and deny equal privileges to others
will constitute the Bastille of medical science. All such laws are
un-American and despotic and have no place in a republic ... The
Constitution of this republic should make special privilege for medical
freedom as well as religious freedom."

--- Benjamin Rush, M.D., signer of The Declaration of Independence,
physician to George Washington. from THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BENJAMIN RUSH